Scaling-ladder.



E. E. CLOSE.

SCALING LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1915- I Patented Nov. '21, 1916.

E. E. CLOSE.

SCALING LADDER.

APPLICATION H'LED NOV. 22. I915.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT onnicn.

EDMUND E. CLOSE, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT ANDMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO ADELBERT L. SEWALL AND ONE-HALF TOCHARLES R. FELTON', BOTH OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SCALING-LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

Application filed N ovember' 22, 1915. Serial No. 62,741.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND E. CLosE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in ScalingLadders, of whichthe following is a. specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in scaling ladders andmore particularly to means for mounting thereon, the supporting hooks,with which such ladders are usually provided, so that they may be foldedflat with the ladder when not in use.

Some of the chief objections to the forms of folding hooks which havebeen previously employed are that, when the hooks were unfolded, or setin position for use, they were liable to be moved back to foldedposition, while the ladder was being raised, and this arrangement wasfurther objectionable on account of the time required in setting thehooks in position for use.

The object of my invention is to provide means for mounting a pair ofsupporting hooks on a ladder, which will enable the hooks to be lockedin folded position, and to be unlocked and automatically moved toposition for use, where they will be held against accidentaldisplacement.

I accomplish these objects by the means shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which p Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upperend-portion of a ladder, provided with an embodiment of my invention.Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of the inner portion of one side ofthe ladder, showing certain parts in different positions. Fig. 4 is atop plan view, with the parts in the position of Fig. 1. Figs. 5, 6, 7,and S are detail views, on an enlarged scale, of the means forsupporting, locking, and operating one of the hooks. Fig. 9 is a similarview of the means employed in connection with the other hook. Fig. 10 isa sectional view on the line 1010 of Fig. 8.

In the drawings, a and a indicate the side strips of an ordinary ladderwhich are connected by the usual rungs b. The side strip a has an oblongcasing a mounted on the inner side thereof, adjacent its end, and one ofthe supporting hooks (Z extend there through, and the other side stripa, also has a similarly mounted and formed casing e thereon, and throughwhich the other supporting hook f extends, the shank portions (Z and fof said hooks extending parallel to the side strips and being adapted tomove rotatably and also to slide longitudinally in their respectivesupporting casings.

Projecting pins (5- and f are respectively supported in collars (Z and fwhich are mounted on the shanks cl and f respecttively, and coil springsg and it are, respect1vely,' arranged about said shanks, between thebottom of' the casings 0 and e, and said collars (Z and 7, respectively.Sleeves i and j are mounted in the casings c and 6 respectively, inposition to receive the shanks d, f, said sleeves being respectivelyprovided with SlOtSf'i' and j, into which the corresponding pins (Z andextend, said slots extending upward from approximately the same level ineach sleeve, in an oblique direction, about the sleeve, forapproximately 90, and then longitudinally, as best shown in Figs. 5, 8,and 9. It is to be noted that the slot i extends about the sleeve to theright, and that the slot f ex- .tendsi to the left, in the obliqueportions thereof. The slot' i is also extended beyond the lower end ofits oblique portion, for a short distance and in a directionlongitudinally of the sleeve, as best shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Thearrangement of said slots 2' and is such that, when the pins 0. and fare in the upper ends thereof, the hooks (Z and f will be held inapproximately parallel planes or in positions approximately at rightangles to the plane of the ladder, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,and in Fig. 3, so that, when the hooks are pushed downwardly, they willalso be swung toward each other, by the engagement of the pins (F, f',with the oblique portions of the slots, said hooks thus being swungthrough an arc of 90, so that they lie flat or approximately in theplane of the ladder. Said hooks also are so arranged that the hook d isswung into the path of the hook f when they are moved to the foldedposition, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4:. I

A latch 77:. is mounted in the casing 0 upon a pivot n, in position toengage the pin d when it is moved down into the lower portion of theslot 2', and an operating rod o is connected to the latch m by a pivotpin 9 and is extended through the bottom of the casing for a suitabledistance over the rungs and along the side strip a, preferably tothefoot of the ladder. A spring r is mounted on the rod 0 between a'collar0 thereof and the bottom of the casing c, said spring acting to hold thehook m normally in the position of Fig. 7. The end portion of the hookon is beveled on its upper side, so that, when the pin (Z is presseddown into the lower portion of the slot, the latch will be pushed backto the dotted position of Fig, 8, the latch being returned to lockingposition by spring 1'.

"When the hooks (Z andf are in the unfolded position of Fig. 3, thecollars (1 f will be held against the upper ends of the casings c and a,and when in this position, the pins (Z and 7' will be held in the upperends of the slots 71 and j, the sides of which will engage said pins andhold the hooks-against swinging movement. If it is desired to move thehooks to folded position, the hook f is first pushed downward againstthe action of its spring k, and,.as it is pushed downward, the pin fthereon Wlll engage the inclined portion of slot 7'" and cause the hookto be swung inwardly, so that it lies flat with the ladder'by the timethe pin reaches the lower end of the slot. Then the other hook (Z ispushed down wardly in the same manner and is likewise caused to swinginwardly, toward the hook 7 until its end portion engages the same, andthen it is pushed still farther, so that its pin (Z passes into thelower end portion of the slot 2" and pushes aside the latch m,

until the latter is permitted to engage the pin and prevent the spring 9from forcing the hook (Z outwardly. Both hooks will then be locked inthe folded position, as

thehook (Z, which is locked by the latch m,-

will prevent the hook f from being swung outward by spring h. vWhen itis desired to use the hooks, the rod 1 is pulled down, so that the latchm is thrown out of engagement with the pin (Z permitting spring 9 toforce the hook (Z up until its collar (Z engages the top of the casing0, the sides of the cam slot 2', causing it, at the same time, to berotated to the position at right angles to the ladder. As the hook (Z isswung outwardly, it will immediately release the hook 7", so that itsspring it will move it upward and swing it outward until it is returnedto the unfolded position.

lVhile each hook is held against swinging movement when in unfoldedposition, by the pins d and 7, which engage the longitudinally extendingupper portions of the slots i and f, if, by accident, either hook shouldbe pushed inwardly and swung laterally, as

soon as it was released, itwould be again returned to its position foruse.

The above-described construction not only enables the hooks to besecurely held in either folded or unfolded position, but also enablesthem to be readily moved from one position to the other, and -to beunfolded of hooks mounted thereon, means tending.

to move said hooks from a folded to an unfolded position, one of saidhooks having a locking device for holding it in folded position, and theother hook being relatively associated therewith to be locked in foldedposition by the aforesaid hook.

2. In combination with a ladder, a pair of hooks mounted thereon, meanstending to move said hooks from a folded to an unfolded position, one ofsaid hooks having a locking device for holding it in folded position,and for,releasing it, to permit alt to mov e to unfolded position, andthe other hook being relatively associated therewith to be locked infolded position by the aforesaid hook, and to be released, thereby, topermit both hooks to move,-simultaneo.usly, to unfolded positions, whenthe locking device is moved to releasing position.

3. In combination with a ladder, a pair of hooks mounted thereon andeach separately spring-actuated to move from folded tonnfoldedpositions, one of said hooks having a locking device for holding it infolded position, said locking device being movable to permit thehook tomove to tmfolded position, and the other hook being arranged to beengaged by and locked in folded post .tion by the aforesaid hook, whenthe latter is inits folded position, to permit simultaneous release ofsaid hooks by saidlocking device.

4-. In combination with a ladder, a hook mounted thereon to swingbetween a folded position, in which it lies flat with the ladder, and anunfolded position in whichit projects therefrom, means normally actuatedto swing said hook from folded to unfolded position, and a lockingdevice for holding the hook in folded position, and movable to releasethe hook to, permit it to be moved to unfolded position.

5. In combination with aladder, a hook mounted thereon to swing between.a folded position, in which it lies flat with theladder, and an unfoldedposition in which it projects therefrom, spring-actuated means arrangedto swing the hook from foldedto unfolded position, a latcharrangedtoilock which the hook lies .fiatwwith the ladder,

and an unfolded position in which it lies per endicularly thereto, meansto lock the hoo in folded position, actuating means arranged to move thehook to unfolded position when released, and engaging means to hold thehook against swinging movement when in unfolded position.

7. In combination With a ladder, a hook having its shank mounted thereonto slide longitudinally and move rotatably, a spring arranged to engagethe shank to move the same longitudinally, and guiding means to swingthe hook from folded to unfolded position, as it is moved by the spring.

8. In combination With a ladder, a hook having its shank mounted thereonto slide longitudinally and move rotatably, a spring arranged to engagethe shank to move the same longitudinally, a casing having a cam slottherein extending longitudinally and circularly of the shank, and aprojection on the shank to engage in said slot and cause a partialrotation of the shank as it is moved by said spring. 1

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WVitness L. H. HARRIMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents;

. Washington, D G.

